Last week I had a scheduler call and ask if I'd do a toy department maintenance job at a Walmart just a couple miles from my house. I went today and it was the most disorganized job I've ever done!

The toy manager was new in department (started just two days ago) and had no idea where I could find either the items on the shelves or the back stock. The former manager was at lunch, but when paged sent a scribbled note on the back of an envelope indicating which of the 17 trailers parked out back the needed merchandise MIGHT be in.

I had to check on five different types of toys. Three of them had no display whatsoever--the items were scattered all throughout a given aisle, and many of the shelves were missing tags. Two hours after I'd walked in I'd tidied the two displays I could find, taken the required photos, and found the manager again to have him sign the sheet.

Is this a normal experience, or did I pick the worst store and the worst season to give marketing a try?

The holiday shopping season is definitely a bad time to start, especially at the client you picked. That being said, some assignments are worse than others, and I have had some go like that even during the "regular" shopping season, especially at the dollar stores. On the other hand, I've had some gift card merchandising assignments that took less than 30 minutes. Like anything in this industry, you eventually learn which shops work for you, and which ones aren't worth the money.

Sounds absolutely typical to me of Walmart. Caveat: I gave up merchandising at Walmart after FIVE assignments, all of which were as bad (maybe worse) than what you stated. So my conclusion is NOT
based on a statistically valid sample!!!!

Kathy,
It's hard doing Wal-Mart from say January to October.

Doing it in November-December its impossible.

In some ways you dodged a bullet because some managers insist you make an appointment before entering the store, and will refuse you if you don't make one. They don't care that we work on the road, and that what might work say Monday when we make the appointment doesn't work Thursday when we're suppose to go in.

I'm just thankful I didn't sign on for the three other locations the scheduler was trying to push on me, too!

@OldDog wrote:

Kathy,
It's hard doing Wal-Mart from say January to October.

Doing it in November-December its impossible.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/10/2015 12:06AM by KathyG.

It isn't as bad if you work them all the time and they know you. The frustrating part is that if they have 17 trailers backed up, they could really use your help and be grateful for it....if they only had the time to stop and locate it for you to work with.

I have another dreaded Wal-martian visit next week. Stocking a kids toy. .A 45 minute visit including reporting time. Supposedly going to pull 15 different items from back stock, to fill a manufacturer specific free standing display, take pictures, get managers signature. These people don't even know where the display is! Product? 455 of 1 item, but they don't have a clue where the item is back stocked, or if it is in one of the dreaded trailers in back, that only the night shift people are allowed to pull stock out of. counts of zero on 9 of the other items. It is to laugh, if only so you don't cry. Somehow they still make money, in spite of the help.

Mostly I do display set ups and display repairs and I sort of like doing Walmart Stores. For me hourly pay is a must and I usually get travel time and mileage.
If I don't need staff or manager assistance work is quick and easy and staff and mangers are usually pretty pleasant. My success rate in Walmarts is 100% and usually under the allotted times when I have everything I need shipped to me.
That said if I need to rely on staff or if parts or inventory are at the store..
manager signature seems to take about 15 minutes
pulling merchandise from a back room at least 15 minutes
finding a display shipped more than 2 weeks before I'm there has taken 15 to 90 minutes
about one third of displays could not be found by me, the staff, or the managers
So you can see why I rarely take flat fees to do anything in a Walmart. Targets, Best Buys, and Costcos are much easier to work with.

It does get easier, just takes a lot of patience!

It also does depend on the merchandising company you are doing it for and what type of assignment it is. I do Mars Halloween candy in mid to late October. I generally avoid WalMart jobs otherwise.

I never go into the back room at Walmart. If the product is not on the shelves and the staff will not get it for me I leave and enter a store alert stating the product is not on the floor and the store personnel would not attempt to locate it.

I rarely merchandise in Walmart (maybe 5-6 times per year). Only ever have an issue with one store.

I must say that most of the WalMart employees at the stores in my area are unpleasant and uncooperative, which is why I try to avoid them if possible.

Toys in Walmart in December, probably not the best first assignment
If you are a "regular" at Walmart you get more help than a merchandiser that shows up once in awhile asking the depth mgrs to show them here a product is located.
I rarely ask for help with my assignments, the less you interrupt their day the happier they will be.

I've done LOTS of merchandising in 5 different Walmarts over the past 10 years.....it is NOT easy work!! No matter what time of year or what department, there will ALWAYS be at least ONE issue, if not more...usually, it's the lack of product on the shelves, combined with the impossibility of finding someone who is willing to scan the tags to check for availability in the back room. And if you are lucky enough to get that part done, usually there is NO ONE, and I mean NO ONE available to "pick" those for you and pull them from the back room....SOOoooo frustrating!! I know there are merch companies now that allow the vendors to use their own version of Walmart's Telxon gun, but I never worked for any of those.....I wonder if that made it any easier??? I can say that over the 10+ years I worked in various Walmarts, that developing relationships with the dept/store managers WAS a HUGE asset in not having them run from me when I walked in the store!! ha ha!! But it didn't mean I would be able to find my backstock or displays!! And trying to merch around Christmastime was AWFUL, especially if most of those products were placed in those outside trailers!!! There was RARELY anyone around who would be able to go outside and let me check through those things.....all in all, looking back on it (I retired last year), to say I was willing to merchandise in 5 Walmarts over 10 years might mean I was a bit cuckoo!!!! But I survived! ha ha!

I stay far away from Walmart. I Have three friends that merchandise that say the same thing, I once had the receiving manager point to a pile of boxes and pallets that were at least 15 feet high, He sarcastically said my stuff was under all that. I was more than welcome to dig for it. I was told to come back after midnight! I told him we don't do revisits and left. I called the district manager and told her I'd never merch for them again.

Most of the Walmart stores don't want us there anyway. Oh, I was doing Mars candy at Halloween, and I had to of course make sure that all of the Mars was out on the sales floor. The manager tried to get me to put the Hershey's candy out from the back because the Mars was all out on the floor. I said I was representing Mars, and she said, "What difference does it make? You're supposed to work for 2 hours, do it by putting out the other stuff." I told her I would spend the rest of my time organizing and straightening the Mars candy that was out on the floor and leave when I was through, and she got mad at me for refusing to do the Hersheys!

I guess she didn't realize you weren't there just to work for her and Walmart. Doesn't it make you wonder how many ICs have been intimidated into going along?

I have had the same suggestion made to me at a mid level department store. They had none of the small leather goods I was servicing, so the manager wanted me to help her set a competitor purse display. I politely declined, but documented it on my report. I also contacted my manager. Thank God I did as the manager tried to claim I didn't do my job. She did not know that everything I do I have a photo of. So she was discredited.